Skyline 3
by TheMenace3117
Summary: All good things must come to an end, and The Babylon Rogues are here to put Skyline down. It's gonna take more than some gadgets to take out the heroes. But these Rogues aren't just any crew from west Mobius. They are funded by the son of a crime boss who once ran the underground, a man Tails killed. Now his son is out for revenge, willing to cut down anyone on his way to Tails...
1. Chapter 1

Sunday, April 29th. One year, 6 months since the formation of Team Skyline, and a little over a year since Miles has been put away for good by their hands. The 4 members of the team have been the center of hate, and admiration for their actions in the city of Two Gates, the Second biggest city in the Casino Night Zone. Tails has proven his leadership is not the most successful all the time, but when needed, he can get the job done. His Stealth and speed counter part Espio gets in and out, as well as take on the toughest of criminals. The muscle of the team Marcus Stills-Evans has enforced the others and does the heavy lifting like no other. Tails Girlfriend Cream has helped him out in the sky, as well as looked out for him behind the scenes.

The team leader sits atop a grassy hill on the beach of his current home, Marcus' Cabin like house, given to him by his uncle who has since passed away. Tails looks over the hill and onto the blue ocean. He stands up, with a letter in his hands and a pencil in the other.

Tails POV

_I know we don't talk much, but I'm writing this letter for you. If there's anyone who has showed me how to be a leader, it's you, Sonic. You and me, we were like brothers. We still are, but obviously we're hours away from one another. My point is, I wouldn't be the guy I am today if I never met you, and I'm glad we did meet. You know, for awhile I thought things with me and Cream, and Espio would turn out good. But after me and Espio dropped the beef, and Cream gave me her trust again, things with us are great._

_When we first met up here, Cream almost hated me. Yeah, it was true I did my best not to go around her when we were kids, the whole age difference. And once she transformed from a little girl to a woman, She had me. I had to get her attention now, but she remembered how I avoided her. It took a long time to get her to trust me again, but when she did, she saw I changed, too. I grew into a wiser, responsible "young adult" as Espio likes to say._

Tails makes his way up the green hill, and closer to Marcus' house along the way.

_Things with me and Cream are going great.. She told me she loved me, a few months ago and since then our relationship has gotten more serious. I still remember the day she told me she was pregnant, I honestly almost cried right there. I'm going to be a dad, Sonic, and I'm not even 20 yet.. we're finding out if it's a boy or girl this week. Regardless if it's a boy, girl, fox or rabbit, I'll take care of them. I won't make the same mistake my father made, work before his family. We still don't have any names for the baby yet, we're still working on that._

_All in all, the team here, we're all doing just fine. We may have branched off on our own, but we can still go out there and take on any thing or anyone who wants to cause trouble. But me and Cream are gonna have to take an extended break from this crazy life, we're raising the baby. So Sonic, Thank you for everything you've done for me, Cream and Espio in the past. I think we all turned out well. Until the next visit, Adios Brother._

Tails drops the paper and pencil as he comes up to meet Cream on the hill top. The two embrace and kiss. The sun shines brightly on the young couple, and in his backyard, Marcus stands in front of a king sized barbecue cooking. Manic, along with the orphans he looks after sit at a bench and some chairs. Cream and Tails take each other's hand, and make their way to the backyard. Tails sits down in one chair while Cream sits on his lap, leaving only one chair for the last member of the team. Espio hurries in, takes one last big sip of his drink of choice, then tucks the bottle in his backpack. Everyone sits around a large table, just in time for Marcus to lay out the food. Tails looks over at the chameleon, smiles at him and the two nod at each other.

**SKYLINE 3**

Night falls on the city, but for the first time in years, there is no gang activity anywhere. No drug dealers, no thieves, or pill junkies filling the streets. Espio walks the streets in peace, and is greeted by civilians on the sidewalks. Tonight, a new movie is playing and the Chameleon's new girlfriend Lindsey is meeting him in the downtown square. Espio looks out for Lindsey, and soon he spots her.

"Hey, beautiful" Espio greets

Espio and Lindsey come close for a quick kiss, and start walking to the theatre. They make it in as rain starts to pour on the streets. Espio pays for both tickets and the two take a seat in the large theatre. About 2 hours pass, when the couple emerges back out onto the street.

"Espio, we should stop for a few drinks" Lindsey suggests

"Ah, sure, it's still early out"

As the two walk down the streets, Espio keeps his eyes out for any crimes going on, suspicious people, or any trouble going on. He tries to not make it look like he's looking around, he feels this might offend Lindsey. Espio is out on a date with her, and all her cares about is fighting any 'bad guys.' After their trip to a bar, the couple makes their way around the downtown square, and Espio is still looking around. Lindsey notices, but doesn't say anything about it. Espio misses the days of taking down the thugs, low life gang bangers and psycho masterminds.

"You okay, babe?" Lindsey asks

Espio turns to face her "Me? just fine, I'm just uh-"

"Espio, I thought we agreed we don't need to lie to each other. Come on, lets go somewhere and talk about it"

The two make their way to a park, the street lights glimmer off their rain soaked jackets as they walk down a lit up path. Lindsey takes out her umbrella and Espio holds it for both of them. The two take a seat at a bench, and start to talk.

"So, what's bothering you?" Lindsey asks

The instant Espio goes to speak, a group of teenagers walks up to the couple on the bench and crowd around them.

"Whoa, dude, look! It's Espio! dude, you're my favorite from Skyline!" one teenager says

"Do you guys still come out here every night and kick the crap out of criminals?" another asks

"Dude, there ISN'T anyone to kick the crap out of. They took them all out. After they put Miles out of business, everyone on the underground is too scared to fight them" a girl says

"That's right, eh.. well, you two take it easy, streets can be dangerous" the first teenager says

"That's Espio, I think if he got in shit, he could get out just fine" the girl replies

Espio waves to the group as they walk away, and he turns back to Lindsey.

"That. That is what's bothering me. not getting out there and watching over these streets.." Espio says

"Well, like that girl said, You and your friends seemed to have cleaned up the streets just fine" Lindsey looks away from the chameleon

"Baby.. hey Lindsey.. I'm just saying, it's been a while since I've got the chance to get out there and do what I do"

"Which is?"

"Fight the good fight"

"Look around, see this? This is peace, you don't need to fight anymore. We can all enjoy our lives, knowing guys like Miles or The Wolf family aren't planning our deaths. So enjoy it yourself, Espio" Lindsey says

Espio looks up to the giant plasma screen on the side of the investors' building, something gets his attention, but he ignores it. He looks back at Lindsey and smiles at her.

"You know, if I didn't have anyone to bring me back to reality, I'd probably keep staying up to look out for the city" Espio says

"Well, you guys helped out a town infested with scum, you fought the fights the cops wouldn't, and now everything is peaceful. I think you guys deserve a break" Lindsey replies

Espio comes in for an intimate kiss, and the two stand up, and head back to their house. Along the way through downtown, the couple notices everyone on the sidewalks staring up at something, but they can't see what it is. Espio and Lindsey get through the crowd, and get to the front. Espio takes on glance up and keeps his eyes on the big screen.

_**..So there it is, We're calling you out, every single one of you punk kids. Skyline, hah. We are the Babylon Rogues, and we're going to take what we want..**_

Espio stares at the big screen, just like everyone around him.

_**..And at this very moment, what we want is to put down the Old dogs of Mobius, and welcome everyone to the NEW dogs in the yard. Welcome to the future, Skyline.. We are the Babylon Rogues, and it's time to bring fear back to this city**_

The big screen crackles, and finally it is shut down. Sparks fly out, falling on citizens standing on the side walk. Everyone in the crowd looks back at Espio. The chameleon has a grin on his face. Lindsey sees this and begins to worry.

"Espio, are you thinking about fighting all of them?" Lindsey asks

"Well, I kinda have to now. you heard them, they want to "put down the old dogs" I have to fight them" Espio replies

"But what about taking a break from that?"

Espio stops, and thinks about this. Choose to go out alone and fight all four Rogues, or stay here for a little bit longer. He thinks about what'll benefit everyone, not just himself.

"Alright, I'll just wait 'til they're actually here. I'm gonna need help, anyways. Guess I can pop by Marcus' place later on and check in with everyone" Espio says

"Good. It'll give you a chance to get ready for them. and give US one more night to ourselves.." Lindsey says in a seductive tone, getting Espio's attention immediately

"Oh, I see what you mean. Lets get going then, babe" Espio replies

The couple hold hands and make their way back through the damp, lit up streets of Two Gates. The night goes by fast as Espio and Lindsey get to the Raccoon's apartment. Lindsey lays on her bed, waiting for the Chameleon to come back. Espio walks back in the room, holding his shirt in one hand and his cell phone in the other. Lindsey's eyes widen as she notices the chameleon's muscles on him, surprising her.

"Yeah, I know. Well, I'll stop by tomorrow. We'll talk about a strategy then. Yeah, you too, man. Alright" Espio hangs up and throws both his phone and shirt to a chair before noticing his girlfriend staring at him "What?"

"Oh, sorry.. I just, haven't seen you without a shirt until now.. I never knew you had all kinds of muscle.. " Lindsey blushes as she looks away

"This? Oh, it's probably from running around and climbing buildings. I can put a shirt back on, if you want-"

"No! I mean, no, it's okay.. come, lover boy"

Espio climbs into the bed, making his way to Lindsey. He looks down at her from above and the two kiss passionately. While Espio and Lindsey lay in their bed, only a few blocks down the street from the apartment, Marcus and Manic, along with a group of friends, walk down the street. Manic carries a beer bottle in one hand, while hiding another in his left coat pocket. A female hedgehog comes to Marcus' and looks up at him.

"Dude, your group just totally got called out a few hours ago" The hedgehog says

"By who? Who is brave enough to call out Skyline? Shit, I'll take 'em out myself" Marcus says, stumbling around the street

"Dude, you're messed up.. wanna crash somewhere?" Manic asks

"Nah, I'm good. Unlike Tails, I can handle my, uh, my.. you know, booze! Yeah, booze.. who do you think you're talking to? The champ, that's who" Marcus leans against a light post

"Yeah, you're drunk. Come on, you're done for tonight. Lets get ya back home.." Manic says, trying to get Marcus up

The large raccoon pushes him back, growls in an angry voice and stumbles again. He doesn't let anyone to touch him, but he keeps turning his back. It only takes a second for Manic to pull out that hidden beer bottle and crack Marcus over the back of the head. The bottle explodes on impact, cuts Manic's hand open, and drops Marcus to the sidewalk.

"Didn't wanna do that, buddy.. Hey, someone want to call us a cab? Be much appreciated" Manic asks, wiping blood from his left hand and checks Marcus

"Seriously, though.. some guys just called out Marcus and Skyline like, an hour ago.." The hedgehog says to Manic

"I heard… Why do you think I kept the big guy in the bar? If he was listening and heard that, Marcus would've went out there piss drunk, howling around all night" Manic replies

"Is skyline gonna come back?"

Manic looks at the female hedgehog, but doesn't answer her right away. Within a few minutes, the cab shows up and Manic picks Marcus up and puts him in the cab. He looks back at the hedgehog and answers.

"Guess we'll all have to just sit and wait, now won't we.."

Manic jumps inside the cab and shuts the door. He tells the cabbie to drive them to the outskirts of town, and to make it fast. Within a half hour the cab arrives to the city limits. Manic gets out and gets the cabbie to help him get Marcus out of the cab. Once they put Marcus on the curb, Manic pays the driver and lights up a cigarette. The hedgehog puts in his headphones and turns on his music. He checks his phone for the time.

**2:44 AM**

Manic makes a call and after only a few words, he hangs up. He takes a seat on the curb next to Marcus, still passed out. 20 minutes go by when Manic takes out one headphone and listens for footsteps. Sure enough, Tails comes down the street and walks up to the duo.

"3 AM and you're just now getting back?" Tails says

"Hey, he started stumbling around, drunk out of his mind, I had to bring him back" Manic replies

"Well, you're lucky, I was just about to pass out myself. Grab one arm, I'll get the other"

The hedgehog and Fox go to Marcus' sides and pick him up by his arms. They struggle to stand, Marcus is a heavy set raccoon. Once they get balanced out, the two walk Marcus down the street, and through the familiar tunnel leading back to his house on the beach side. They finally make it back to the house, but still have to drag Marcus up the porch stairs and into the living room. It takes another 10 minutes, but they get him inside and on the couch. Tails takes a seat in the dining room at the table, and opens a bottle of pop.

"Want a drink?" Tails offers

"Nah, I got stay on the healthy side. girls love muscles, least the ones down here do" Manic replies

"Marcus' room is available if you want"

"Ah, I'll just hike it back to the orphanage. The kids must be worried, I've been gone since they got out from school"

"Well, take 'er easy, Man"

Manic gives the peace sign as he walks out the front door, and Tails is left to sit alone in the dining room. He hears footsteps coming down the stairs, so he finishes his drink quickly and stands up.

"Yeah, I know. I'm coming now, baby" Tails looks up

"I'm not going to bed yet, it's only 3" Cream looks down at Tails from the stairs "Reminds me of when I used to sneak out of my moms house and come back late like this"

"I don't think I ever snuck out of Sonics house, he would've caught me too fast" Tails says

Cream looks into the living room and sees Marcus passed out on the floor "You guys just dumped him on the floor?"

"No, we put him on the couch. He must've rolled over"

Cream takes a seat at the table "I heard about those Babylon Rogues. There's four of them, but.. I won't be there to help you.. So.."

"Babe, we've got this. It wouldn't matter if they had 1000 members, we can handle just about anything. We took out Miles' crew, and he had half the city backing him. I think we can take four kids from Babylon" Tails says

"Well, just make sure you don't get hurt out there. I don't wanna have to look after the baby and you at the same time" Cream replies

"You'll have to eventually, you know I can't take care of myself" Tails jokes

The two go upstairs and shut off all the lights on the bottom floor. While Tails and Cream go to sleep for the night, Four members of a rival group ride down the highway streets, cutting off traffic, and avoiding cops. The leader of the pack, a green haired Hawk flies down the street. He wears a distinct white leather jacket with red and orange flame designs on the sleeves. The Next member, a taller hawk stops beside him. This hawk has blue spiky quills, a dark crimson red leather jacket with a black hawk design on the back. The third member is a large Albatross, sporting a black trench coat and fingerless gloves. The final member is the Swallow girl. She wears a black and red bandana in her hair, a black trench coat, and a necklace with small lit up screens on them. These are the Babylon Rogues.

"We there?" The second hawk asks the first

"Pretty much. Just a little further down the road" Jet the hawk says

The rogues jump back on their hover boards, and fly down the street. each board has lights on the bottom and small exhausts on them for speed. The Swallow's board is the largest of the four, with more accessories on it. All four Rogues speed into town, and are at large in Two Gates as of 4 AM.


	2. Chapter 2

It's early out in the city of Two Gates when Espio wakes up, still spread over the bed of his girlfriend Lindsey. The chameleon gently takes his arm from over her body and gets out of the bed. He jumps in the shower and brushes his teeth, then looks around for his shirt. He looks over to a near by nightstand to check the clock.

8:06 AM

Espio puts his dark blue designer shirt on, slips into his pair of black sneakers and heads back into Lindsey's room. He leans over and kisses her on the forehead, and walks out of apartment. Espio makes his way down a flight of stairs from the 4th floor, and goes to walk back to Marcus' house. Along the way out, Espio looks around the streets and sees few civilians out, but the ones who are around wave to him and smile. The chameleon waves back and keeps going.

He makes it down a few blocks before stopping at his favorite bar, The Express. Espio walks up to the counter and orders 'The Giant Killer' after a brief wait, a large thick bottle of ruby coloured liquor is placed on the bar counter. Espio grins, pays for his liquor and walks outside. The chameleon continues his walk to meet with his friends, but something makes him stop and look over his shoulder. He turns around, nothing behind him but traffic. Espio faces forward and it happens. Espio is hit by something so fast he drops his bottle, but he isn't let go. He sees the ground get further away from him as he is pulled into the sky.

The chameleon looks at what has him. Storm the Albatross has both arms wrapped tightly around Espio's body, and he is flying higher in the sky. Espio tries to punch but he has limited arm room, making his punches un-effective to the albatross. Storm takes Espio up a few more feet, then with all his power, Storm throws the chameleon up higher. Espio flies up like a rag doll, flipping around as he gets higher. While he flies through the air, Espio quickly looks for something to grab onto, and he spots a building coming up close. He gets within a fingertip of grabbing a ledge when another boarder rushes up and elbows Espio in the back, sending him towards the ground. Espio is helpless as he free falls through the sky.

About 50 stories up, Storm shoulder tackles the chameleon and the two smash into the side of the building, Espio taking the brunt of the hit. Storm floats backwards and leaves Espio's body smashed in the brick wall. Jet, Predator Hawk and Storm float on their boards in front of Espio, staring at him. All three boarders have dark blue, grey and black cyborg and skull designed face masks on, with red blood dripping from the skulls' eyes. Espio tries to move but he is stuck in the broken wall. Jet gets close to the chameleon, looking him in the eyes.

Jet laughs to himself, then looks back at the chameleon "..I almost thought we had picked up the wrong guy. It is him, the 'Ninja'… the ultimate ass kicker" the grin on Jet's face disappears "One of those Skyline kids"

"You're calling me a kid? you don't look too old yourself.." Espio answers back

Storm rushes in and head butts Espio in the body, knocking the wind out of him instantly. The chameleon coughs while trying to recover.

"My boy Storm doesn't like back talkers. He's got a knack for crushing, well just about everything.. you get our little video for ya?.." Jet gets in Espio's face "We needed to introduce ourselves to everyone out here.."

Espio looks down, he notices another boarder scaling up the side of the tall building to join the group. The tech-savy member of the Rogues, The Purple Swallow girl, flies up and gets behind Jet. She dons the same face mask as her Rogue members, but she stands out from the other three; she has the biggest hover board of the whole team.

"Wave, good timing… this is that 'skilled ninja that hangs with the pretty boy.." Jet glances back at the Swallow

"Hmm, doesn't look like much" Wave answers

Espio looks her in the eye, she looks familiar but he doesn't know where from exactly, and in the middle of his though, the chameleon is hit again in the body.

"Look at me while I'm talking to you" Jet says "My boss wants the fox alone, but we kinda want to pull the plug on you Skyline wannabes-"

Espio looks up at the hawk "Why? what did we do to you?"

"There can only be ONE dominate team. And it's been you street rats for too long. The people down there, down on the street.. they love 'Skyline' …you guys, shit, you're no different than Sonic, you bask in your glory, crave the spotlight, all that good stuff.. If we were to cut the legs out from under you and put you each in the grave, well.. than those people won't idolize you anymore, and they'll all fear us. Because fear is what's needed, not fake heroes. Fear and respect"

"So, you're-"

"Enough talking! Jet, lets drop this freak already" Predator Hawk says

"Right, I'm beginning to lose sight of the objective" Jet puts the face mask over his yellow beak and looks Espio in the eye "Maybe they'll wake up from fairy tale land if we put you down, first"

Storm grabs a hold of Espio's neck and shirt, then he zooms out into the sky. The rest of the Rogues follow behind him. Espio looks out and sees the whole city pass him as he soars through the sky. He is almost defenseless in the hands of Storm. They have to be about 70 feet in the air when Espio sees his chance to escape. The chameleon bites the left hand of Storm and drops down. He goes into a free fall, but he thought he was a lot closer to the ocean. The concrete comes up fast, so he straightens his body out and uses all his force to fall forward. The Rogues make no attempt to catch him, and Espio soars down toward the water. He's only got a few more feet to go, but it seems almost impossible to make.

"He'll catch the edge of the dock, he ain't gonna make that" Storm says

Espio is able to zoom past the dock and he hits the water head on. Storm growls, and flies the opposite way. Everyone except Jet fly away. The leader waits for Espio to resurface, but he sees no sign of the chameleon. Jet takes off and catches up to the rest of the Rogues. Espio holds his breath under the chilly ocean water, and after a full minute he puts his head above, able to breathe some air. After a small swim back to the dock, Espio climbs up and lies down. He can still hear the high pitch roars of the hover boards high above the city.

"I gotta tell everybody else.." Espio thinks to himself

The chameleon gets up to one knee and checks his pocket for his phone

_Shit…_

He pulls the soaking wet phone from his pants pocket. He stands up and starts to walk back towards the path to Marcus' house, on the other side of town. Espio takes the SIM card from his phone, puts it in a small pocket, then smashes the wet phone on the ground. He makes his way through a neighborhood he's never been through, or so he thinks.

The more he walks around, he remembers the area. The same place he, Tails, Cream and Marcus retreated from Miles' gang, over a year ago. The gang members are all gone, the graffiti covered houses are cleaned up, and police now monitor the area. Espio starts to get what Jet was telling him. Skyline is nothing more than a small police force. And the Rogues want to put them away, so they can take control of the streets. A small doubt of what to do rolls in Espio's mind, but he knows without him and the rest of Skyline, guys like Jet would put this city back into the crime wasteland it was before. Espio leaves that neighborhood and continues on back to Marcus' house.

Back at the house, Tails, Cream and Marcus wait for Espio to show up. Tails looks up at the clock; 11 AM. It's not like Espio to be late for, anything. Tails gets a bit worried, but he gives Espio a few more minutes. After another 20 minutes, Tails slaps on his hoodie and maroon beanie, heading for the door.

"Tails, give him a call before you roam around for hours" Cream says

"How many times do you think I did? There's something up with him, I swear.." Tails puts his shoes on and swings his backpack over his arms.

"He could still be with Lindsey, you don't know"

"The man's been with his woman a long time, I think by now he'd be on his way" Marcus says

"Yeah, so I'm going out there to get him myself. I'll give you guys a call when I'm with him"

Tails leaves and heads out into the city, flying in the air and making his way through the back streets that lead back into town. In the opposite direction in town, Espio wanders through, finding his way back to main streets and finally back downtown. High above the city, the Babylon Rogues stalk The chameleon's every move. Tails races into the city, flying past buildings and structures along the way. The fox gets back to street level as he goes downtown, and he walks around the district. Just as Tails walks past the biggest bar in the city, Espio walks towards it on the street beside it. Jet tries to find the chameleon, but loses him.

"I'll get his attention" Predator hawk says as he flies down to the streets

The blue hawk skims the side of a building, then as he gets close to the ground he jumps off his board and pushes a button on it. Both ends of the hover board slide back into the thick center piece and it shrinks in size. The hawk holds it in one hand as he walks down the street. He walks up to a vendor selling fruit, looks at the guy operating it, then picks up an apple. He takes a bite, and goes to walk away.

"Hey! That's 50 cents, pal!" The owner says

"I was gon' pay you, damn. Don't gotta freak out, bud.." Predator hawk says

The hawk reaches into his pocket and flicks two quarters up, and just before the owner catches them, the hawk uses the exhaust on his board as a flame thrower. The Vendor catches fire, and before the owner can react, the hawk zooms away. The fire get bigger, and people on the street start to back away. Predator hawk listens to the terrified screams behind him, and the owner yelling at him. Espio hears the screams so he goes to see what's going on. The hawk rides up railings on a staircase, hitting some civilians on the way up. He stops in the center of the downtown square, then he looks up. He sees Wave and he nods at her.

The swallow uses a touch screen device to hack into the cities' electronic speakers, and she turns on a heavy Dubstep song. The people in the downtown square look on in confusion, while Predator Hawk signals at her to turn it up. Wave increases the bass and the ground starts to shake from the music. If they didn't have it before, the Rogues have Espio's attention now.

"What the hell?" Tails says as he turns around

Espio looks up and sees Predator hawk nodding his head to the music, while police clear the streets and surround him. Espio goes to confront the hawk, and he meets eyes with him.

"There you are, we lost ya for a little bit, bud!" Predator hawk says

"Whatever you and your friends are doing, it stops right now. Where's the rest of them?" Espio asks

Tails sees Espio, so he turns around and walks towards the two, but police stop him.

"Hey, I'm trying to take this guy down, officer" Tails says

"Yeah, and let you cause thousands of dollars in damage, again? I think we've got this, kid" the police officer says "Hey, chameleon! Back away from the suspect, we've got this under-"

Jet goes by and shoulder blocks the cop off his feet, but he doesn't see Tails standing a few feet from him. The crowd yells in surprise, and the fox backs up. The attack was so sudden, so quick, Tails couldn't react.

"Jesus.." Tails says

Espio looks back and spots the fox standing in the crowd with the police. He goes to walk towards him, but he is hit the back by Predator hawk, and Strom races up to grab Espio by the legs.

"Espio!" Tails runs past the police and towards the Rogues

"Hey, it's him!" Wave yells to Jet in the sky

Jet looks down and see Tails, so he nose dives back to the ground and right at him. Tails sees him coming, so he dodges the attack and goes for Storm who has Espio held upside down. He comes within a fingertip of grabbing Espio when Tails is hit in the side and pulled back to the ground by Jet. Tails is able to break free and even kicks the hawk in the face before he goes after the Albatross and Espio. He gets right on him, but he is stopped by a zap of blue electricity to the arm. Tails stops and grasps his arm, then looks up to see Wave holding a big gun. She has it connected to a satellite dish on the roof she's on as an electrical conductor.

"Nice gun.. but you're not stopping me" Tails says to himself

The fox goes into the sky and starts the chase again, avoiding the electricity and staying on Storm and Espio. The chameleon tries to pull away but the Albatross' grip is too strong. On the ground, Predator hawk uses his hover board to smash glass windows of stores and taking as much loot as he can carry. Police try to shoot him, but he is too fast on his board. Tails looks away from Storm and at Predator hawk for one second and Jet smashes into him at full speed. Tails smashes into the side of a building, and into an office of an employee. Jet comes in and the two start to brawl, while everyone in the office scramble for safety.

Espio swings his body up and grabs a hold of Storm's coat, then he punches the Albatross in the back of the head. They land on a building and Storm drops Espio. He gets to his feet only to be met with a fist in the face. Those two start brawling, while Predator hawk continues to wreak havoc on the ground. Storm uses his board as a weapon, but misses each hit as Espio ducks and weaves out of the way. The Albatross goes low this time but Espio jumps over the board and brings his knee into the side of the head of Storm.

Tails takes a few punches from Jet, and gets knocked back, but he uses his tails to bounce back and run into the hawk. The two smash into desks and tumble over one, and they wrestle for control. On the roof, Storm starts to get beaten, and Espio goes in to finish the albatross but he falls down as he is hit with a bolt of electricity. Tails runs at Jet and the two smash through a glass window and free fall to the ground. Jet uses a tiny remote to summon his board and grabs it in mid air. He flies away while Tails floats to the ground.

Jet and Predator Hawk meet up and surround Tails. Just before they attack, they stop and take a step back. Manic and Marcus join Tails, forcing the Rogues to retreat. Tails goes to get Espio, but a huge bolt of electricity hits the Giant LED Screen, causing sparks to fly and a piece to fall. This gives the Rogues a perfect get away.

"Espio! Shit!" Tails yells

Manic, Tails and Marcus can only watch as the Babylon Rogues fly away with the chameleon in the sky. Tails leans against a wall and sees the same cop who stopped him getting to his feet.

"Under control, huh?" Tails says as he walks away

Marcus and Manic follow the fox as he walks down the streets. They stop at a park and sit on a bench.

"Dude, those were some crazy hover board junkies" Manic says

"Yeah, impressive, huh.." Tails replies sarcastically

"What was that they were cranking up? I could hear it from the orphanage"

"I don't know, never heard that kind of crap before. It shook the ground and everything…" Marcus says

"They took him, but why? I don't get it.. did he piss them off?" Tails asks

"They did say they wanted to put you guys down, and crush you. and settle the score. And take over the city… damn, you guys musta pissed off some crazy, hyped up boarders" Manic says

"I've ran into them, before. The Babylon Rogues, they called themselves. Me, Sonic and my other friend Knuckles had a little "scuffle" with them, and I thought it was done then, but I guess not" Tails answers

"Were they always this fast?" Marcus asks

"Not as fast, but they could pretty much Match Sonic, on boards ovbiously. They look a lot different than before. The face masks, upgraded equipment, man they have to be funded by someone.." Tails looks over at the big Screen downtown "What's this now?"

A camera crackles, then a hand moves it until it stops. Big Storm grins at the camera.

"One down, 3 to go. Tails, sooner or later, you'll be alone… You won't have Sonic's brother or your muscle, Marcus, to get your back. Enjoy the spotlight a little more, go ahead. You don't have much time left in that light.. oh, and next time, We aren't gonna let you you know when we're coming to kick your ass"

Jet adjusts the camera at Espio, lying on his back with Predator hawk and Wave standing over him. The camera shuts off, and Tails kick a trash can over in anger.

Tails shouts angrily "I'm gonna beat their heads in when I find them!"

"Alright, dude, just chill.. come on, not much we can do right now, lets just go and think about what to do next.." Manic says, trying to calm Tails down

"I swear, I'm gonna get them, and get Espio back.."

The three make their way back to Marcus' house, Tails kicks walls along the way. Meanwhile, in a dark room, Espio sits against a steel pipeline, waking up from the electrical shock. Wave stands in front of him and she grins at him.

"Hey there, ninja.. remember me?" The swallow asks sarcastically

"I'm pretty sure you, shot me on the roof, if I'm correct" Espio says

"Yep, that was me... I like building my own weapons, especially if they hurt people. But when I hurt you, the only weapon I need, is Storm" Wave says

The big Albatross steps out from the shadows and stands beside Wave, both looking down at Espio.

"We need to know where The rest of your friends are. So, you can tell us, and he won't break both your arms, or you can be hero, and lose them. it's up to you" Wave says

"Well, you can try, but I wanna let you both know, I've fought bigger, tougher guys than you four combined. So, good luck breaking 'em" Espio says

As he gets to his feet, he is pulled up and his arms are raised above his head. He tries to move, but heavy steel chains are wrapped tightly around his wrists. He looks back at Wave and Storm.

"I don't think the guys you fought were smart enough to keep you in one place" Wave says

Espio laughs "Here, I though you guys were tough, just like us. but I should've assumed you were just like everyone else out there. Cowards. Punks with money, that's all you are"

"You're absolutely right, The Rogues, and Skyline are nothing a like. We are SMARTER than you. We know how to get the job done, the first time"

Storm cracks his knuckles and walks towards Espio, trying to tug on the chain but it won't break. Espio jumps up and kicks Storm in the face, backing him up for a second, but the Albatross looks back in anger.

"Okay, well, I'm going out for a coffee, I can't help ya now. Anyways, have a nice afternoon"

Wave walks out of the room and just as she closes the door, Storm throws a heavy punch at Espio and the beating starts.


	3. Chapter 3

Jet and Predator Hawk make their way through a large hallway in a business center for stocks, owned by Drago Wolf. They get looks from all the employees in the main lobby, but they keep walking. The green hawk shows a special admission pass to the female assistant at the front desk. She waves them through, and the two boarders catch an elevator, packed with more employees. At first, the suits talk aloud, but when they stand next to the two hawks, they keep quiet for the whole ride up.

By the 40th floor, most of the employees exit the elevator, all except one, a tall hedgehog with a brief case in hand. Jet stares at him, making this employee even more uncomfortable. At his stop, the hedgehog goes to exit but he feels a hand on his shoulder, stopping him in his tracks. He hesitantly looks behind him, confirming the dark Blue hawk holding him back.

"I saw ya, trying to eye ball me up. listen up, bud.. don't screw around, not with me, or my friend here. we know your boss, and we can get ya canned faster than Sonic the hedgehog himself.. understand? No more eye balling" Predator hawk warns

"..Y-Yes I, uh, I understand.." The employee answers neverously

"Now get the hell outta my face before I send ya home, pussy. Go on, hedgehog!" P.H shoves the hedgehog out of the elevator and looks at Jet with a grin "I love suit dummies, they're such chicken shits, ha!"

"Yeah? That's great, now shut up and lets go" Jet replies

"Yes, sir.." Predator hawk answer sarcastically as he pushes the 60th floor button

The clear glass elevator doors shut and the hawks are taken up to the very top floor in the building, the executive suite. Cheap, elevator music plays as the make their way up the building floors. The two get to the top floor finally, and make their way down another large hallway, this one seems to be longer than the bottom floor hall they entered. Jet swipes the card in a key card machine, and a large flat screen TV turns on. Another female assistant appears on the screen.

"Hello, fellas, What can I do for you's?" The assistant seems rather happy when seeing the two hawks on screen

"Drago, he wanted to see us I guess. Is he gonna let us in, or is he in an 'important meeting?" Predator hawk says in a disrespectful tone

"Hey, P, shut up. Yeah, the boss wanted to see us. we getting in?" Jet says, looking angrily at Predator hawk

"Oh, right, you're the racers, hmm, lets see.. yeah, he's just in his office, I can let you's in, but he's not in the best of moods right now, just to let you know" The assistant answers

"Right.." Jet replies

The TV screen goes off and a small buzzer sounds, signaling the front doors' lock being opened. Jet and P.H walk through the big metal doors and into a huge capacity office suite. They are greeted by the assistant, a tall thin fox girl with fire red hair and one piercing on her eye brow, and a gold lip ring to match.

"Whoa, never knew they let cute girls with piercings be assistants in a big corporate office, damn" Predator hawk says as he walks up to the desk

"Oh, thank you, mister boarder guy. My names' Susanne, by the way. Mr. Wolf's office is to your left, last door" Susanne directs the boarders to the main office

"Thanks, Susanne, I'll see you around.." Predator hawk looks at Jet making his way to Drago's office, but he walks up to Susanne's desk and leans on it "I've got a question, girl. you ever date a famous street racer?"

Just before the fox can answer, Jet grabs his partner by the collar of his white racing jacket and drags him away. Susanne waves goodbye to Predator hawk as he is pulled down the hall. The two hawks enter the big office and look for Drago.

"I'll make this as brief as I can, so don't bother sitting down" The wolf calls from above

Jet and P.H look up and see Drago walk down a set of stairs to a second floor. The wolf slips on a purple robe as he gets downstairs.

"You takin' a nap up there, Mr. big CEO?" Predator hawk asks

"It's president, hawk"

"Whatever, man. what do you want?"

"I wanna know what' taking so long getting that damn fox kid in front of me, that's what I want"

"The kid's elusive, but we've got one of his friends" Jet says

"And? The deal was Miles Prower, not Miles Prower's friend.. don't be pulling any more of those stunts like earlier, you knocked out my power for half an hour. Got one of my electricians killed, idiots"

"Whoa, take it easy.." Predator hawk says "we'll get him for ya, but don't think you own us-"

"Excuse You? I gave you street kids enough money to fix up those boards, and I'm giving you each a small fortune, if I'm paying you, I am your boss"

Predator hawk gives Drago a dirty look, but Jet calms him down.

"I want him by Friday morning, that's 5 days. If he isn't here by then, deals off. And I'll have my attorney contact you about the bill on those nice boards. Now go, I've got a business to run" Drago says

The two hawks look at each other, than leave the office. They approach the front desk, only Susanne can open the metal doors to let them out.

"Just a sec, guys-"

"Oh, that's okay, we know the way out, Suzy.." Jet says

The female fox looks on as both hawks drop their boards on the ground, take a running start and land on them, smashing through a couple windows. Drago runs out into the hall and looks out to see both hawks flying through the air and zooming past other buildings.

"Susanne, dock them the cost of those windows from their pay checks" Drago says

"Right away, sir" Susanne answers

Back at the undisclosed safe house the Rogues are using, Storm takes a break from beating on Espio and sits down. The chameleon lays in a small pool of his blood, spitting out more red fluids into that pool. Wave stops at the door, and takes a sniff around, then covers her nose.

"Oh Jesus, you can smell all that blood.. ugh, thats gross.. how can you stay in that room?" Wave asks

"When you get blood in your eyes, nose and mouth so many times, you kinda forget about the scent, that's what 500 fights does to ya" Storm answer

"Is he talking?"

"Not a word. Guys tough.."

Wave walks over to a work bench and picks up an adjustable wrench, she then twists the knob and the clamps open up "I'd hate to have something get stuck in between those"

The Swallow hands the wrench to Storm and looks at the down chameleon "Everyone caves in, you just gotta use the right tool. He'll be squealing when you use this"

Espio's eyes widen at the sight of the clamps opening and closing, and his heart beats faster. Storm gets close to him and grabs the chameleon's right arm, then quickly locks the wrench onto Espio's palm. The albatross tightens the clamps, forcing the wrench to squeeze Espio's hand.

"Hurts a little more than my fists, huh?" Storm taunts

Espio holds off the pain for a few seconds, but the force is just too much. He groans in pain and tries his best to kick at Storm, but he won't let up. The thought of giving in creeps Espio's mind, but he isn't selling out his friends, no matter what he has to take. He gets a break as Jet and Predator hawk enter the building, and they call a meeting with Storm and Wave. The albatross lets go of the wrench and kicks Espio in the gut as he walks away.

Espio lays against the side of the long metal pipe, then he reaches over to pull the wrench off his right hand. His whole body shakes uncontrollably, but he manages to get it off his hand. The chameleon throws the wrench under a table so Storm can't use it again. Just then, the lights in the room go out, not like there was much light to begin with. Espio hears a large door shut, and he knows he's alone in the building. He thinks of a way to get out, and only one thing comes to his mind: The wrench. After his eyes adjust to the darkness, he spots the not blood covered wrench, 8 feet from the chameleon. Espio tries his best to reach it, but he can't get it.

Back at Marcus' house, Tails and Manic talk in the dining room while Cream and Marcus are in the kitchen cooking. Tails' phone rings; it's Espio's girlfriend Lindsey.

"Hello? uh, yeah, he's with us. oh, that's a negative, guy is beat. Didn't you see the news, those Rogues knocked out the power, yeah.. he'll be back later tonight, I'm sure.. alright, cool. Yeah, you too" Tails hangs up

"You shouldn't lie to her, what if she finds out he got abducted?" Manic asks

"I hate lying, but I have the biggest feeling she wouldn't take the news well. I am gonna get him back tonight, you're welcome to help me" Tails replies

"Well, ya know, these guys aren't after me, and I've got a family to look after myself, trust me, I would but .."

"You're scared of these guys, aren't you?"

"Me? pfft, nah man, I ain't one to lay down and surrender. But I ain't one to get taken out from the street and hauled off like I'm some vultures' snack, know what I'm saying?" Manic says

"Fine, Manic. I guess I'll do it alone" Tails stands up

The fox and hedgehog enter the living room and turn on the TV. Manic grabs a wireless video game controller and turns on the game system. He snatches the remote from Tails' hand and turns on a war game.

"Sorry, dude, I haven't played any games since I got let out last month, I gotta get my fix, man. Zombies will do the trick" Manic says

"No, I need to watch the news, what if these guys attack again? Gimme the remote" Tails says

"Nah, man. just one game, that's all I need.." Manic pushes Tails away from him "No, get outta here! Just one game, Tails! come on!"

"No! gimme that damn thing, I'll break your arm, I swear to god! Frig off and pass that here!"

The two start to fight for the remote, falling off the couch and rolling around the floor. Manic uses his strength to over power Tails, but the fox has his own tricks. He grabs Manic by his black vest and quickly flies up towards the ceiling. Manic's head smashes off the ceiling and he falls to the floor. Tails switches off the game and to the news. Just as he thought, The Rogues are taking out cops in the south end of town.

"Damnit! I knew it! I gotta go, I'm taking these guys down tonight!" Tails throws the remote at Manic and runs out of the house. Marcus and Cream get done cooking and put all the food on the table, not noticing Tails has left. Marcus looks in the living room and sees Manic out cold from the fall.

"Hey, I think Tails split. And I think Manic is split open" Marcus calls to Cream

"Wait, did he leave by himself again? He's gotta realize he can't win every battle alone.." Cream says

"I'll go back him up. I'll give ya a call once we're on our way back" Marcus says

Espio makes his through the pitch black hallways, stumbling down the hall. His right hand is almost broken, and he has lost almost 3 pints of blood, but he is still walking. He opens the first door he finds and it leads him to the roof of a building in the middle of nowhere. He looks around, this is the first time being outside in what seems like years, but it's only been about 10 hours. Espio turns around and he sees he is a long way from Two Gates, and from his friends. He is standing on the only remaining lookout tower in the middle of the ocean.

"Fuck.."

The Babylon Rogues race through the streets of Two Gates, dragging crowbars across the sides of glass windows of buildings. The police can hardly keep up from the ground, only able to follow the flames from the engines of the Rogues' Hover boards in the sky. The sun is setting, and by the time it's gone, Tails makes it downtown. He looks up and sees all the Rogues in the sky. He gets their attention the only way he knows how. Tails scales the side of a graffiti'd up building, pulls out a can of red spray paint and goes to work on his message. Right after he's done, the fox bails off the building and heads back downtown. The Babylon Rogues notice police crowding around one area, so they head there. Wave uses the electricity gun to get the cops to run away.

The paint is still dripping as Jet stops, lowers his face mask and reads Tails' message.

_**Babylon Bitches**_

Predator hawk points at the jumbo Screen downtown, Tails stands atop the gigantic structure and stares down all four Rogues. The racers speed back downtown and surround the fox, each hovering in each direction.

"You don't have to take out all of my friends to get to me, I'll just come to you.. So lets go somewhere away from these people, and we can settle this" Tails says

All four Rogues rev their hover boards' engines, trying to intimidate Tails, but the fox isn't afraid. Tails gets a glimpse of Marcus on the ground, but it's too late to tell him to retreat. Predator hawk and Storm nose dive for him on the ground.

"Take that Raccoon out! we can't let his friends jump in!" Wave yells to the other Rogues

Tails makes a dive for Jet, but the hawk is able to avoid him easily and Wave goes to shoot Tails with her Electricity gun. Tails dives down, dodges the blast and heads for Storm and Predator hawk. Marcus ducks a kick, but Storm rushes him and the two fly backwards. Marcus uses his power to stop Storm, but he gets punched in the face twice, then gets his legs taken out from under him. Predator hawk sweeps the raccoon's legs, but doesn't see Tails come in and knee him in the face. The fox goes to knee Storm, but the Albatross flies out of the way. Tails helps Marcus up and the two stand back to back, waiting for another strike.

Jet and Wave stare down at Tails while Predator hawk and storm watch Marcus. Police and citizens watch on from a distance, staying silent. The Rogues stay in the sky, while Tails and Marcus are ready to fight. Tails gets a surprise as Manic joins him and Marcus.

"I'm gonna get ya back for earlier, but right now I wanna smash these pansies" Manic says

"Alright, sounds fair enough" Tails answers

"What are they waiting for? Thought they were big tough guy.." Marcus says

Jet, Storm, Wave and Predator hawk stare behind the trio, taking everyone's attention there. Tails sees Espio limping over to the fight, a bloody, mangled mess. The Rogues' eyes widen in surprise. Espio joins Tails, Marcus and Manic and the four stand ready. Jet nods at his crew, and one by one the Rogues speed off the opposite way. This fight won't take place, not tonight.

"Real tough.. Tails was right, you guys are a bunch of Babylon Bitches!" Manic yells to the Rogues as they leave

Storm stops and turns around to face the hedgehog "Oh, shit, yo we gotta go, now! lets get outta here!" Manic says, hiding behind Marcus and Tails

Tails shakes his head and spits on the ground. He thinks to himself as he and his friends walk back home.

_Guess It'll be another time, huh Rogues.._


	4. Chapter 4

Tails, Manic, Marcus and Espio take their time returning home, keeping an eye out for the Babylon Rogues in the streets. Marcus takes off his first shirt and wraps it around the open cut and bleeding wound on Espio's right hand. The four move around the backstreets and pathways only they tread at night. Around midnight the group returns to Marcus' house. Espio sits down and Marcus makes him a plate full of their left overs from the previous night. Tails is stopped by the chameleon and called over.

"They told me they only need you, but made it clear they wanna take us out of the picture.. I don't know who you pissed off, but these guys aren't screwing around. Just remember, you can't always expect to run and have problems just go away.."

Tails looks at his friend, not able to say anything. The fox puts his hood on, kisses his girlfriend and heads back out into the streets. Rain comes down hard, and the fox walks through puddles on the back street on his way back into town. Tails checks his phone for the forecast.

**_Showers all the way until the sun comes up.. the time right now is 1:17 am_**

Tails listens to the late night anchor, then shuts off his phone. He puts his headphones in and puts on some late night walking tunes. He reaches the main hospital within the hour and stops at the front desk. He tells the nurse at the front he is here to visit someone, the girl he was responsible for leaving in a coma. The nurse and Tails walk into an elevator, she looks at the now soaked fox in his blue hoodie and distressed jeans.

"Normally, when I see guys looking like how you do, I call security, but I get your situation.. I wouldn't want someone who has as much power as they do knowing where I go" The nurse says

"I'm not afraid of being seen, I'd fight them myself.. There's someone in here I don't want to be in danger, because of me" Tails answers

The two walk out of the elevator and head for the last room on this floor, most of the lights are off down this hallway. Tails pushes open a door and sees his friend Celia, the ferret girl who was put into a coma trying to save Tails from the evil fox Miles. The nurse looks on at Celia, then leaves the room and closes the door. Tails pulls a chair close to the ferret and sits down next to the bed. He looks at her, then puts his head down and thinks to himself.

"I know, I haven't been her to see you in awhile, I uh… I don't know if you can hear me, but I never gave up on you.. after you stayed like this for a year and they asked me if they should just pull the plug, I told them NO, don't EVER give up on her… I'm so sorry you're like this, it should be me in that bed.. you should be out living your life, you've got so much left here.."

Tails looks out the window and watches as rain trickles down the clear glass window. He stands up to shut the curtains, then he sits back down. He gets lost in his train of thought, trying to find the words to say to Celia.

"I've got a baby coming, just to let ya know.. yeah, it kinda shocked me too. Two years ago I was stuck in high school classes, sitting in a workshop, nothing too exciting going on. Now I'm going to be a father, a grown up. You shouldn't have kids until you're 30, seriously. Ah, in know you'll be a good mother when it happens" Tails looks over at the door, it closes just as he glances over "I uh, I just wanna say I hope you get better really soon. You don't deserve to be here, you're the nicest, sweetest girl I know, don't let Cream hear that... "

Tails pulls out his maroon beanie, writes a few words on the small tag on the inside and sets it on a table beside the bed.

"If you wake up and don't remember me, or who anyone is, here's a little gift from me.. I know it ain't much but, you'll understand when you get older, what little things mean from people you miss so much" Tails eyes start to water and turn red, so he rubs them and shakes his head "Anyways, I've gotta get going, I kinda have a few bad guys coming to, pull my head off I guess.. well, I'll see you around, Celia"

The fox stands up and lightly squeezes the ferret girls' hand, then he walks out of the room. He walks past the nurse and to the elevator, taking off from the hospital and back into the streets. The rain calms down, but it's damp out around town. Tails walks around the city, checking out the damage he and the Rogues have already done. He knows if he's going to fight them again, he's got to do it in a place where no one around them can get hurt. Tails makes his way past downtown and towards the other side of town, an open field near an abandoned warehouse. Tails knows this place would be a good one to have the fight.

Around 4 am, Tails goes back home, lays down in his bed with Cream and falls asleep for the night. Just as he sees Tails going upstairs, Espio decides it's time to head out and go see his girlfriend Lindsey. He hasn't talked to her since he was abducted by the Rogues the day before. Manic also leaves the house and heads for home, back in the city. He catches up with Espio and the two talk while walking back to their homes. When they reach the city, they split up, going their own ways. Espio walks through the streets and makes it back to town. He gets downtown and heads for his girlfriends' apartment. Espio walks through the front doors and climbs up six flights of stairs. He tries to open the door, but it's locked.

"Lindsey? .. I know it's late but you won't believe what happened to me.. Lindsey? Hey, I gotta talk to you" Espio calls through the door

The chameleon gives up and goes to walk out of the apartment building, but he hears a small click sound behind the door. He hesitantly turns around, wondering what that was. He touches the door knob lightly, and it's now open. Just before he opens the door, he gets ready to defend himself, incase something jumps out on him. He quickly opens the door and runs in the room, but no one is there. He doesn't see anyone, instead he finds the place trashed and glowing lights all around the room. The front door shuts and locks as Espio tries to grab the knob. A loud noise scares the chameleon, making him turn around. The windows are now barred, allowing no escape. Espio sees writing on a big mirror and he reads it.

**_Do we have your attention now?_**

The chameleon sees a small image pop up on a flat screen TV, it's a live video feed of Espio's girlfriend Lindsey. She is stuck in a boiler room, and Storm the Albatross turns up the heat switch. Espio punches the mirror and cures to himself. He looks at the TV but knows he can't do much. In the boiler room, Lindsey sees a TV turn on and she sees Espio in the apartment which now serves as his cage.

"Espio!" Lindsey shouts

"Hey, stay calm. I'll get you out of this, just hold on, baby.." Espio answers

"No, it's the Rogues! They won't let us out of this, even if they get what they want!"

Espio looks around the apartment, he realizes the glowing lights are cameras and microphones. The Rogues are monitoring everything going on in the apartment.

"I know what they want.. You guys listening? I know what you want, and I'm the only one who can get you what you want, this doesn't involve her.. let her go and take me.. YOU HEAR ME?!"

Espio hears nothing, and all of a sudden a bright light comes on from outside. Espio walks towards the window and looks out. Three live feeds on the large jumbo screen downtown are shown. Espio sees Lindsey on the first one, but his eyes widen when he see the other two video feeds.

"No.."

On the next video is All of Manic's orphan friends trapped in the cellar of a dark building, and the third video shows Tails' friend Celia in her bed in the hospital. They had this whole city under watch this whole time. A text appears on the bright screen under the video feeds.

**_You know what we want_**

**_It's your move_**

Espio looks up and sees Jet the Hawk on top of the large screen with a small microphone.

"Oh, how much damage a few cameras can do. Look, we aren't total barbarians, but when I said I wanted that fox, me and my team will do anything to get that. Now, you can let these innocent folks die, or you can dial up that son of a bitch and tell him to get his scrawny ass out from where ever he's hiding. Time to see if he's as tough as everyone says he is. You've got five minutes"

Wave uses a remote to start a timer on the large screen, counting down from five minutes.

Espio immediately pulls out his phone and calls Tails. One minute goes by and no one picks up the phone. He tries again, but nothing. Before he can call a third time, Manic calls him.

"GET HIM DOWN HERE, RIGHT NOW!" Manic shouts over the phone, making Espio pull his phone away from his ear

"I'm trying to. Listen, he'll get your friends back, just give me a minute" Espio says, then hangs up

"Espio, get him down here!" Lindsey shouts from the boiler room to the camera

He calls Tails again, checking the timer on the large screen, one minute, forty six seconds. The dial tone rings four times, and on the last one someone picks up.

"He's on his way" Cream says silently

Espio hangs up, and just as he goes to tell Jet, The countdown clock stops, seems they picked up his conversation with the microphones in the room. Espio looks outside the window at Jet.

"He better get here fast, I've got police coming by the dozens. We don't plan on getting arrested, not like they could catch us anyway" Jet says

"He better get here within the hour, or those pigs will have to add murder on the list of charges we'll have" Predator hawk shouts

"Well, the sun is gonna be up soon so, we might as well wake everyone up now" Jet says

The green hawk nods at Wave, so she pulls out a touch screen device and she hacks into the cities' stereo system. She turns on another loud, bass heavy Dubstep song, and it's so loud it shakes the city streets. Car alarms go off from the vibrating streets, it was like a small earthquake. A small army of cops come, surround the downtown district and pointing their guns at the Rogues. Espio tries to calm down his girlfriend as she sits in the heat inside the boiler room. Predator hawk keeps the cops at a distance, using his board as a flame thrower. Jet looks over the whole city, looking for Tails to come. He sees something moving fast and he knows this is him.

"Okay, show time guys. The fox is here" Wave says

Espio sighs in relief as his friend shows up, Tails flies up from street level and scales the side of the building. He faces Jet, both staring in each others' eyes.

"Alright, you got what you wanted, I'm here. Let everyone go, every single one of them. no one needs to suffer except me" Tails says

"You almost sound like you're giving ME an order. Boy, take a look around, this city doesn't belong to you anymore, and just like I said, the people down there, down on the street, they don't idolize you.. right now, they just want you to surrender so they don't have another tragedy on their hands" Jet answers

"Are you gonna give me your whole speech, come on, let everyone go, NOW" Tails calls to the hawk

"Are THEY the reason you came here, or is SHE the reason?"

Tails doesn't say anything, he looks over at Wave, pointing the electricity gun at him, he even sees a red dot right over his heart.

"Alright, you heard him. let the innocent go, even the chameleon. I want him to see what this city is gonna become personally" Jet orders

Espio looks at the TV Screen, the door to the boiler room is opened and Lindsey is pulled out by Storm. She drops to the floor, her face is burning up from the heat. The apartment door is opened up, and Espio runs out of the apartment building. He gets to the main floor and goes to help Tails, but he is stopped by Predator hawk.

"Don't do anything stupid. We've got this whole city under watch, and if you thought this was something, well.. I guarantee you this won't compare to what we do next" Jet says

Espio turns around and he is greeted by Storm holding his girlfriend Lindsey only a few stories above the chameleon. The albatross lets go of the raccoon girl and Espio runs to catch her. He barely makes the catch, and he falls to the ground with her. He asks her if she's okay and he rests her head on his left arm. Predator Hawk look on, grin then race back up to Jet. Espio looks up and watches as the Rogues surround Tails high in the sky.

"We'll be back for you, ninja" Storm says as he takes off

Back at Marcus' place, Cream watches from her TV. She sees all four Rogues circle around Tails. Cream knows this could be the last time she ever gets to even look at her boyfriend, and she starts to tear up. Marcus comes in and comforts her. He watches in anger at the TV screen.

Wave puts her electricity gun away and she pulls out another piece of equipment from a large metal case. She hovers over to Tails and grabs one of his arms, then slaps on a metal cuff, it clicks as it wraps around his wrist. Wave grins and does the same for his other hand. She rides over to storm, puts a small device under his board, and puts one on Predator Hawks' board.

"We don't want ya getting lost, it's for your safety" Wave says sarcastically

"I'm sure.." Tails says

The swallow girl presses a button on a remote, and two large wires appear, glowing blue. They connect from both boards to both of Tails' arms.

"Security wire, built especially for you. you should feel special, Tails" Wave says

"Can we just, get on with this?" Tails answers

"Right, lets move. Boss has been waiting this whole time"  
Jet says

"Wait, What?" Tails looks at the green hawk

"You didn't think WE wanted your punk ass, did you?" Jet laughs

The Rogues speed off, Storm and Predator hawk have Tails on the wires and he is pulled by them with no way of escape.

The last thing Marcus and Cream see on the TV screen is Tails being pulled off by the Rogues. Marcus punches the TV and walks out of the room.


	5. Chapter 5

The Chameleon walks his girlfriend Lindsey to a local hotel, her apartment was destroyed by the Babylon Rogues the previous night. Espio pays for the room himself and the two walk in to a large suite on the 4th floor. Lindsey says nothing to her boyfriend, she just takes a seat on the edge of a bed while he apologizes.

"Lindsey, I'm so sorry for putting you in danger, I should have came right back here when I had the chance-"

"Espio… I had a plan for my life.. I was gonna go to college, get a bachelors degree, and do something with my life.. I left that path to stay here with you, Espio.. but.." Lindsey looks out a widow "What's here for me?"

The chameleon listens, not saying a word. He looks at the floor nervously, but he knows what's coming.

"I can't waste time here, and I don't want to die in this city, by those mercenaries' hand.." Lindsey looks the chameleon in the eye

"I guess it's the end then.." Espio says

"For now, yeah.. I guess it is"

Espio stands up and looks at the Raccoon girl "I won't put you in danger again.. Goodbye, Lindsey"

Lindsey watches as the chameleon slowly walks out of the room and out of her life. Espio pulls out his phone, plugs in a pair of headphones and listens to some music. The song "Wicked Games" by The Weekend gets his attention, so he puts it on repeat. The chameleon looks out in the sky for the Rogues, but sees no one around. He walks down the main streets, but there are few people out tonight. Espio looks up, a bright LED screen catches his attention with it's message.

WE ARE ALWAYS WATCHING - - - - - - THIS IS OUR CITY NOW

After he reads this, Espio sees a video of himself walking down the street. He pauses and so does the video. The image is a live video feed of his every move. The Rogues have the entire city monitored, meaning no one can go anywhere without being taped. Espio puts his hood on and ducks in a crowd to avoid being seen. Espio thinks about going back to Marcus' house but he doesn't want cameras to pick up where the others are. The chameleon will have to stay in the city tonight. While roaming the streets, a familiar face bumps into him.

"There you are, dude!" Manic greets his friend

"How's it going, Manic.." Espio replies

"You sound depressed, man.. something buggin' ya?"

"I just broke up with my girlfriend.. I couldn't help my friends and I watched those assholes drag Tails away.. I'm not exactly 'in the mood' tonight"

"Welcome to the club, bro.. you heading back home?"

"Can't.. Rogues have the city under watch, and I don't want them to know where…"

Espio stops mid sentence, he notices the cameras have tiny microphones on the bottom of each camera, so they can pick up audio as well as video.

"You okay dude?" Manic asks "You totally just spaced out-"

"I'm fine, listen, do you know a safe house I can stay at tonight?"

"You're damn right I do, come on I'll take ya there"

While Manic and Espio sneak around the city, The Babylon Rogues have Tails locked to their boards while they fly through the sky on this chilly night. Jet stops in front of the group, forcing them to stop as well.

"Boss doesn't want you knowing where he operates, so I gotta blind ya.. and this black bag will do just fine" Jet holds a small black bag in his hand

The green hawk puts the bag over Tails' head and grins.

"How's your vison now,eh fox?"

"Well, as long as I don't have to see your ugly mug, I'm good" Tails shoots back

Jet grabs both of the wires holding the fox, and pulls them to the left, causing Tails to be slammed into the side of a building. The Rogues laugh at the wounded fox, while Jet isn't quite laughing.

"Keep it up, smartass.. I'll break you in half.. lets go, Rogues"

Tails groans in pain as the Rogues drag him against the brick wall while they head to Drago wolf's office building. The fox can't see anything under the black bag, he can only assume the where abouts of the Rogues' boss. Tails doesn't even know the identify of their boss, and is he in for a surprise. After a good 5 minutes of being dragged against the sides of buildings, Tails is left to dangle free in the sky. The Rogues speed up, they want to make this a fast drop off so they can get paid right away. Tails starts to worry when the Rouges slow down, and eventually come to a stop. The fox knows they've arrived at their stop.

"look alive, everyone. it's showtime" Predator Hawk says

Tails feels someone grab his arms, put a pair of handcuffs on each wrist, and lock them behind his back. A bigger hand grabs his left arm and pulls him forward, this has to be Storm. Employees inside the building watch as the four babylon Rogues drag Tails through the lobby and into the elevator. Jet pushes the top floor button and the five wait as they are lifted up the floors in the building, and listen to cheap elevator music. Finally they reach the top floor, and they get to the front door, where they have to be verified by the secretary to be let in. Jet stands in front of the camera and grins.

"Open up suzy, we're here to see the boss man" Predator Hawk says

A small buzzer sounds out, signalling the doors are open, so the Rogues walk in the office. They pull Tails along the way and head for the main office. Susanne gets only a small glimpse of who the Rogues have, she doesn't know who it is, until she sees the two tails. Storm pushes Tails into the office first, making him trip over a table and drop to one knee.

"Yo, Drago! where you at, boss? we've got something for ya..." Predator Hawk calls out to the wolf

The Rogues wait for a response, but all they hear are voices coming from another room, getting louder and louder. Drago and some other guys in suits walk through a door at the back of the room and laugh as walk in. The laughter stops when they see the Rogues and Tails on the other side of the room. The room gets quiet, so Drago goes to break the silence.

"You'll have to excuse me, gentleman... I've some old friends here with something of mine' The Wolf explains

Tails sees his chance to get help.

"Whose there? call the cops, these are very dangerous criminals who-"

Storm covers the fox's mouth, while men in suits look at Drago in confusion.

"Drago, what the hell is this- you've got these thugs in here holding a kid under a black mask"

The Wolf tries to think fast, but Jet speaks for him.

"We're just some of his friends from college, this is Mr. Wolf's.. uh, cousin and we wanted to surprise him with a visit here"

"And a surprise it is, I wasn't expecting this, especially during a business meeting" Drago gives Jet a dirty look "But it's great to see you again"

"Well, then we should leave you to your personal matters, Drago. We'll talk again soon'

Drago's business partners walk past The Babylon Rogues and leave the office. The Wolf walks up to the door and locks it, then looks at all four Rogues.

"Couldn't have made an appointment, huh? that was embarrassing, and in front of my new potential partners? jesus you're all lucky-"

Storm walks up to the Wolf, standing face to face with him, and while still staring at Drago, he pulls off the black bag from Tails' head. The fox gasps for air and the Wolf looks at him.

"So, they finally caught you, huh.." Drago says

"I more or less let them take me, they pulled the whole 'Turn yourself in or somebody dies' deal" Tails replies sarcastically

"And someone is gonna die, Mr. Prower..." Drago replies

From the outside of the room, Susanne leans against the heavy door and listens to the conversation.

"Well, I guess I knew this day was coming, but make sure you actually kill me, the last guy who killed me kept bringing me back.. hey, you might know him, Wave" Tails says

"Why's that?"

"You're both crazy bitches with high tech toys" the fox snickers to himself

Wave rushes up to the fox and kicks him in the groin, knocking Tails to the floor and groaning in pain.

"Sorry, boss.. I had to shut him up" Wave tells Jet

"Anyway, look.. we got you the fox, now it's time you pay up, Drago" Jet says

"Right.. you know, I almost lost faith in you street kids, but you proved you could get the job done.." Drago says

Predator Hawk looks at the Wolf " Don't you mean 'Proved you wrong'?"

"Oh, I'm never wrong" Drago replies "Susanne has your pay cheques out in the other office"

"One more thing before we leave.. I wanna know where to find the rest of your crew, Prower" Jet says

"Yeah? Well I wanna go for something to eat, maybe pizza or a chili dog, but that isn't happening" Tails says

"Oh, I think if you know what's good for your pregnant girlfriend, you'll start talking"

Tails' eyes get wide when he hears this.

"Didn't think we knew about her? or Sonic's brother, taking care of your ninja pal and some other homeless kids?" Predator Hawk laughs

Wave pulls out a touch screen tablet and shows Tails a live video of both Manic and Espio walking down the street, and the cameras pick up everything they say.

"So, gonna tell me what I wanna hear?" Jet asks

"Depends on what you wanna hear, bud.."

"Last chance, or I'll make it a slow death for all of 'em"

"Alright.. I'll tell ya where they're gonna be at midnight.." Tails says

"Where?"

"Standing over top of your dead body, you piece of shit"

Predator Hawk, Wave and Storm laugh loudly while Jet stares the fox in the eyes "Slow and horrible it is, Mr. Prower.. He's all yours, Drago"

"Pleasure doing business with ya" The Wolf replies

The Rogues exit the office, only to bump into Susanne on the way out. She tries to to walk back to her desk but Predator Hawk stops her, putting his hand her shoulder and keeping her against the wall.

"Hey, baby, miss me? oh, you smell nice today, what is that, Vanilla? damn, girl" Predator Hawk says

"Drago says you've got our money, so where is it?" Jet asks

"Right this way.."

Susanne pulls away from Predator Hawk and walks back to her desk. She notices P.H staring at her backside as she walks, but ignores him. She opens a locked safe and pulls out the pay cheques, then hands them over to each of the Babylon Rogues. Predator Hawk stops and looks at Susanne, which makes her uncomfortable.

"Seeing as I just got paid, how bout you come with me and we go to dinner in the city?"

"I'll pass on that one, but thanks.." Susanne replies

"Hm, you're loss.."

The Rogues leave the building, then stop to take a look at their cheques. Jet's eyes widen in surprise, Each member has a small fortune in their hands. With eyes on every corner of the city and this amount of of money in their hands, The Babylon Rogues are in complete control.

_Jet gets a message on his phone. it's from Drago Wolf._

_ENJOY YOUR POWER_

_"Oh, I will" _


	6. Chapter 6

Drago Wolf walks around his office while Tails slowly makes his way to his feet, having to balance himself without the use of his arms as they're locked in handcuffs. The fox gets up, but can't find the wolf anywhere so Tails goes on the defensive. Drago reappears a few feet behind the fox with a glass of wine, sipping on it as he looks at Tails. His eyes are fixed on the fox, his prey.

"I've been looking for you, Miles. You're hard to find, so hard I had to hire these street racers just to get ya... and this is him, the kid I've heard so many things about.. But there's only one reason why I found you"

"Which would be?"

"Revenge. That's my reason"

"And why are-"

"YOU DON'T EVEN REMEMBER! I KNEW IT! ... Harvey Wolf, ring a bell?"

"... uh, be more specific, I've beaten up lots of guys in this city"

"An old man you murdered! How would this city react to that, Miles? 'Skyline leader kills retired tycoon business man'" Drago takes another sip of his wine

"I remember... if this city knew what he really did and who he really was they'd understand- "

"THEY'D DESPISE YOU! Miles, the whole concept of being a hero is to stop the bad guy, not kill him"

"Good thing I'm not a hero..."

"Hm, I guess that's true. Tell me.. What made you a cold hearted killer, I mean.. it's your fault 150 000 citizens lose their lives tonight.."

Tails glances out a window, getting just a quick look at Two Gates from far. Each member of the Babylon Rogues speeds around to four large electric power tower stations. Tails can't see what they're doing, but he knows it's nothing good. He looks back at Drago and clinches his fists.

"So you're gonna go so far as to kill everyone in the city, and make me watch? you're.. buddy, you're not right in the head, let me tell ya"

"Well technically you're the one who will take the blame"

"The hell are you talking about?" Tails looks at the wolf

"Our friends the Rogues have been kind enough to set up the device, and they also control the whole city electronic grid.. with the right audio and a source so powerful as wireless communication, you could feed a city any bullshit and they'll believe it.. clueless sheep, and in this case, you the Wolf in sheep's clothing, Miles"

Tails eyes go wide, he starts to think about this, Drago and the Rogues are gonna frame him for killing the whole city, while Drago plans on killing him right now.

"I can't explain how good this feels, I've got my father's killer in front of me, I'm about to take the lives of everyone he loves and his entire city.. I guess I'll just say what my father used to say.. No one can fuck with a Wolf"

* * *

Espio spots the Rogues racing around the city skies, but he doesn't have a clue what they're doing. He wants to go back to Marcus' house and ask for help but the Rogues have the whole city under watch. The chameleon pulls out his phone and tries to call. Just as he thought, no signal anywhere in town. The Rogues must have taken out the signal a long time ago. Espio tries to think of where to go, but then Manic shows up.

"Dude! That big albatross and the blue hawk are abducting citizens from the street! We gotta stop 'em!" Manic yells to the chameleon

"Where are they?" Espio looks around the sky for any of the Rogues

"Well, ... that's kinda hard to say exactly .. Everywhere? They don't stay in one spot for long"

"Then we'll put them in one spot"

A small shiny silver car races around, periodically stopping for a few seconds then speeds off again. Espio runs down the main street of town but he is almost hit by the speeding car as it turns a corner. The driver comes out and looks at Espio, this is Susanne from Drago's office building.

"I'm looking for a chameleon that knows Miles Prower, is that you?" Suzy asks

Espio hesitates for a few seconds "What's this about?"

"I know where you can find him"

Before Espio can answer her, Storm the albatross zooms down to the ground and drags a long black wire from his electronic board along the ground. With one arm he throws one end of the wire to the other side of the street. Predator Hawk catches it and the two race down the street parallel to each other while holding the thick wire. They smash cars, take down street lights and knock pedestrians down with the black wire. The police send out cruisers to go head to head with the Rogues but both P.H and Storm speed up and when they reach the cop cars they easily rip them to pieces with the wire. Espio looks at the carnage, then looks up, Predator Hawk decides to take off again, leaving Storm by himself.

The albatross holds both ends of the wire and speeds away from the destroyed city block. He spots a large and he darts for it. Just as Espio goes to run after him, Suzy is taken from the street and into the sky. Predator Hawk has the fox in his arms.

"Shit, she's the only one who can tell me where Tails is.. I can't run fast enough to catch up to those boards.." Espio thinks to himself

Suzy's car starts up again, prompting Espio to turn around. Manic is at the wheel.

"Get in, bro. We'll stop that bus from getting hijacked"

Espio jumps in the passenger side and the car races off and chases the Rogues. Manic makes sharp turns and mounts the curb just to follow Predator Hawk. Unfortunately the hawk knows he is being followed so he does his best to lose Manic and Espio.

"I knew you were gonna get involved in this somehow.." Predator Hawk says to Suzy ".. why are all the pretty ones after the good guys?"

"You're a freak, no one would want to be with you scum!" Suzy yells back

"Ooh, you hurt my feelings, Suzy" P.H looks down at the street "STORM! GET IT HOOKED UP!" he yells

Storm hears this so he races to the bus and he wraps the black wire around the sides, then he forces it to stop. The albatross throws the wire under the bus and out of no where Predator Hawk grabs it. He goes to the door of the bus and throws Suzy in.

"Alright, guys.. me and my buddy Storm out there will be taking you for a little ride, I think this bus can fly.. but only with our help, it can. So buckle up, it's gonna be a bit bumpy" Predator Hawk announces to the screaming crowd inside the bus

"Lets do this!" Storm yells

both the Rogues hook the wire to their boasts and slowly lift the bus off the ground. Man and Espio ride up just in time to see this. Manic reverses the car and then Espio opens his door. Manic guns it and the car speeds off. Just as he gets near the flying bus, Espio jumps from the car and puts his arms up. He just barely catches the grill of the bus and he holds on, startling the crowd inside.

"Espio?!" a voice yells

The chameleon looks through the windshield, and he sees Lindsey inside next to Suzy. He has to hold his emotions in and he climbs the front of the bus. He pulls himself onto the roof and looks in the sky. Predator Hawk and Storm see the chameleon so they speed up, causing Espio to lose his balance. He slips and almost falls off the bus but he holds onto the ledge. He looks down at what could be his 60 foot drop to the concrete, and he gets back up. Predator Hawk rides next to Storm and unhooks the wire from his board. He then hooks it to Storm's board and then he hovers down to the roof of the bus.

Espio gets to his feet just as Predator Hawk gets off his board and folds it in half. The two stand off, then Espio makes the first strike. Everyone inside the bus watches through an open emergency exit door on the ceiling. Storm keeps the bus in the air while Predator Hawk fights Espio on the roof. The blue Hawk throws Espio off the side but he is pulled by the collar of his white racing jacket. In 2 seconds Predator Hawk's board unfolds under his feet and he lands on it, catching him. Espio holds onto his jacket so Predator Hawk tries to get him to let go.

Manic chases the bus from the street while Espio crashes back first into the side of the bus with Predator Hawk holding him. The glass window cracks from the impact, then it breaks as Predator Hawk kicks Espio. The Chameleon fall to someone's lap while Predator Hawk flies up, doing a back flip and quickly taking the other end of the wire from Storm. The bus speeds up and it gets near a building.

"Don't tell me they're gonna throw that bus into that building.." Manic says as he races after the bus

Espio sees this and knows theres no escaping the impact.

"Everyone get in your seats and huddle next to the padding of the seat in front of you. it'll soften the impact" Espio instructs

P.H and Storm unhook both ends of the wire and stop, hovering in the sky to watch the destruction. Manic stops the car and looks away, unable to look on. Time slows down as the 10 ton bus smashes through the glass windows of the 6th floor. The office building shakes furiously from the impact. The bus slides across the floor but loses speed half through the building. Just before it smashes through the other side of the building and falls to the ground, the bus comes to a stop. Predator Hawk and Storm fly away and leave everyone in the building.

"Espio! wake up! Espio!" Lindsey says

"ugh.. shit.. is everyone alright?" Espio says

"Everyone is fine, Espio. you're instructions actually worked" Lindsey helps the Chameleon up

"Where's that fox girl?"

"Predator Hawk came back and got her.. by the way, who is she? you're new girlfriend?"

"Ah, this isn't a good time.."

"She is, isn't she?"

"No, she's the only who can tell me where Tails is.. how long was I out for?"

"Like, 10 minutes.."

"Ah shit.. I gotta go get her before they kill her"

Espio stands up and stumbles around the destroyed bus. Lindsey stops him and gives him a quick kiss then smiles at him. Espio looks at her, a slight smile crosses his face and then he's off. The Chameleon goes through the destroyed office and gets to the elevator. He gets to the main floor and stumbles as he limps to the exit. Marcus calls him as he reaches the street, and Espio wonders how this call is coming through to his phone. The Rogues cut off the signal, so Espio checks his service on his phone. A service named "Secret" pops up. Espio finally answers the call.

"I'm in town, where are you?" Marcus says over the phone

"Uh.. " Espio looks for a sign with the name of the street "Central and Benson.. bring a car, I can't walk too good right now"

"Got it, be there in 3 minutes"

Espio hangs up and waits for Marcus to come, but just he sits down his phone rings. He doesn't wanto take too many calls just in case the Rogues hack into this secret line. He answers and it's Manic on the other line.

"Dude, I need some help.. those boarders have me and this fox girl cornered, we're at the Wallace Statue down by the construction site, the industrial side of town. hurry!"

Before Espio can answer Manic hangs up.

"Damnit, Manic.."

A sports car speed up and the drivers' window rolls down, it's Marcus. Espio limps over and gets in the back seat.

"We gotta save Manic's ass, he's with the only girl that knows where Tails is being held" Espio says

"Man, this is the only time I save his ass, lead me to him" Marcus replies

The red sports car squeals as it takes off and heads across town.

* * *

"So, I guess I should let you say something before you die.. make 'em good, Prower" Drago Wolf says

"I Don't have any last words for you, Wolf" Tails answers

"Hm... alright then, business as usual I see.. You can close your eyes if you don't wanna see your own blood"

The Wolf pulls out a pistol and aims it at the fox, almost at point blank range. Tails grins and goes to work just as the Wolf pulls the trigger.


End file.
